Tesla Discussing Megachargers With Semi Truck Buyers

Reuters exclusively revealed some details on the fast charging infrastructure for Tesla Semi electric trucks, that are scheduled for market launch in late 2019.

Tesla Semi charging port

At the unveiling, Tesla announced a Megacharger network that will mirror its Supercharging network for cars.

The high-power stations are promised to replenish 400 miles of range (640 km) or 80% of the 500-mile version of the truck in 30 minutes. The power requirements will be tremendous, like up to 2 MW per single stall.

Tesla announced that the stations will be solar-powered (probably with energy storage) and electricity will be offered for just $0.07 per kWh), which makes it hard to imagine how those stations will be financed (as the price of the Semi seems too low to cover costs of the vehicle – see our InsideEVs exclusive analysis).

According to Reuters, Tesla is in talks with customers that pre-ordered the Semi. Those talks center on building a charging infrastructure at customers sites – it will be the first, base step we believe (just like home charging for private electric cars).

“Tesla is collaborating with Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo and United Parcel Service Inc to build on-site charging terminals at their facilities as part of the automaker’s efforts to roll out the vehicle next year.”

“Details of the partnerships, which have not been disclosed previously, are still being hammered out, but include design and engineering from Tesla, the companies said. They declined to disclose what portion of the building costs, if any, Tesla would pay, or whether Tesla would be compensated for its work.”

The power, costs or even who will pay for the Semi charging equipment remains unknown. The electric bus industry gives some indications related to costs, with examples like $249,000 for six fast charging stalls, but the Tesla Semis could need more power than buses.

Reuters also lists several companies that didn’t pre-order the Semi due to doubts related to charging capabilities, range, price and payload.

“Werner Enterprises Inc, YRC Worldwide Inc, Daseke Inc and Old Dominion Freight Line are among the transport companies holding off pre-orders of the Tesla for now, citing doubts about the Semi’s promised recharge time, range, price and payload capabilities.

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Infrastructure will be the highest hurdle for this. I can only see this as feasible for short haul. A trucking company has a number of “super-duper” chargers at a terminal for company use. Long haul has too many variables with trucks needing to detour down state highways to reach out of the way cities.

“Long haul has too many variables with trucks needing to detour down state highways to reach out of the way cities.”

Certainly the economics of installing Megachargers everywhere doesn’t make any sense for any individual fleet owner. And yes, there will be a lot of long haul routes which are run too seldom to justify the cost of installing one or more Megachargers to support that route. Tesla Semi Trucks won’t be running those types of routes.

On the other hand, busy truck fleets often run the same route multiple times every week. For those routes, it may well be cost-effective for the company to pay for Megachargers to be installed at the endpoints of that route. Depending on just how the economics work, or don’t, it may even be cost-effective to have Megachargers installed along the route, so Tesla Semi Trucks can charge up during a driver’s lunch break.

Fortunately, on Planet Earth, we know that even a single electrical induction furnace can draw up to 42 MW, and a large skyscraper may have a peak draw as high as 10 MW. Obviously electric utilities are capable of delivering this level of power where needed.

However, I would tend to think most large Truck Stops are coincidentally near the power lines required so as to expedite construction. I’m only basing that on the places by me, but I’m sure you could find some locations of truck stops in the country that are not so easy to power quickly.

Truck stops tend to be in rural areas. The local utility might or might not have adequate infrastructure to support a mega-charger. Depends on how far away the nearest substation is and the distribution voltage. A lot of areas still have 4KV, which would not be adequate for this level of power. The typical truck stop might have an electric service rated at 200-300 kW. One Tesla semi on a mega-charger will draw 1,500-2000 kW. This would require a dedicated 12KV service. Multiple trucks might create so much amp draw and voltage drop through the lines that it could bring the local distribution lines to their knees.

Megachargers will be installed in industrial areas, not rural areas. This is indicated by Tesla’s quote of 7¢/kWh for electricity from the Megachargers, which is very slightly over the national average price for industrial rates for electricity. Industrial areas where, presumably, high levels of power are already available.

If you don’t have anything constuctive and accurate (both items you only rarely do – another self-appointed big expert – most of the time its only how you think it works or what sounds good to you, yet divorced from the real reality) why don’t you try to come up with a constructive thought and work on your politeness before criticizing other constructive, info-laden comments.

I know its difficult for you, but try anyway. You get all pissy when proven wrong, whereas I always calmly state “I stand corrected”, when someone finds I have made a mis-statement.

Uh huh, as if someone who knows nothing about the subject (or, any subject involving Science or Engineering) would know what the electrical load will be. The fact you are so totally clueless as to what a vacuum is, or that you are so totally clueless when it comes to force per unit area makes me want to give more weight to a serious report than any of your drivel. Its time to get serious here. I was told that anyone who received an “A” at the local university’s Calculus-based Thermodynamics Course would receive at instant job at the local power plant. Uh, I happened to receive an “A” in that class. Its one of the more rigorous courses there, in a family of difficult courses. At the age of 10, I like most intelligent kids, understood the ramifications of space vacuum. Meanwhile, you constantly write here that you know so much more than me (without any proof), and that I need so much more SCHOOLING from you as to how things really work. However, your comments are always absent when the slightest details are mentioned on something technical since that would ILLUMINATE that you are so silly. Go ask… Read more »

Poor Bill. He can’t stand being corrected by someone who makes no claim to be an electrical engineer!

Hey Bill, tell us again that DC fast chargers are powered by hospital emergency generators on hot days (see link below). That was fun! 😀 Or that Tesla Superchargers don’t have safety-mandated emergency shutoff switches.

You also demonstrate your equal “expertise” on science in general with your claims that lots more CO2 in the atmosphere would be a good thing for every living thing, and that airlines are poisoning the atmosphere with “chemtrails”.

Other than your moronic statements you don’t understand the concept of “Load Shedding”.

Wikipedia has a pretty good write up on it so I’m surprised you always argue the point over and over and over and over again, just like the truthfulness of 230 mpg volts which has been proven time and again true in my personal case (and others).

Specifically, I did *NOT* say that Superchargers are powered by Diesels on August 1st (or any other hottest day of the year). I said *OTHER* things are leaving juice AVAILABLE for SuperChargers that otherwise would not be available for them. You can’t even get a quote right.

It is splitting hairs to say exactly where the electricity is coming from, but Dim Bulbs like you exaggerate the difference.

As far as other statements I’ve made, they are too sophisticated for Blowhards such as you Pushi, so I voluntarily leave those subjects off limits, although I stand by everything I’ve said in the past.

I talk about those more sophisticated subjects on places like Tesla Motors Club where they don’t allow you or your ilk.

“The power, costs or even who will pay for the Semi charging equipment remains unknown.”

Ah, finally! someone hints at the right question: Just who will be paying to install the Megachargers?

With Tesla selling electricity at cost (that is, at the national average industrial cost for electricity), and with the consensus that apparently Tesla has priced the trucks themselves surprisingly low, it seems reasonable to think that Tesla will be asking the fleet owners to pay for Megacharger installations.

And that certainly makes sense. Tesla won’t be installing them to cover the entire country, like the Supercharger network; they’ll be installing them exactly where trucking fleet owners need them installed, and in the numbers those fleet owners need.